First, I would like to join all my colleagues in expressing our deepest condolences to the victims of the tsunami tragedy. No continent has fully escaped the effects of that violent natural phenomenon, although countries in the Indian Ocean and the South-East Asian region have been particularly hard…
At the outset, I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his latest report on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, and on emergency international assistance for peace, normalcy and reconstruction of war-stricken Afghanistan.
Important progres…
My delegation would like to second the views already expressed by the representatives of the European Union and Norway and by others and to align ourselves with the statements made by previous speakers dissociating them from the consensus on draft resolution A/59/L.29.
I would like to begin by thanking the Secretary-General for his two reports, on the modalities, format and organization of the high- level plenary meeting of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly (A/59/545), and on the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration (A/59/282 and …
At the outset I would like to commend the Secretariat, in particular the able staff of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, headed by its new Director, Mr. Vladimir Golitsyn, for its comprehensive report on oceans and the law of the sea (A/59/62), and the report on sustainable fish…
Iceland voted in favour of the draft resolution. Iceland believes that it is not in the best interest of the multilateral system for States to
apply unilateral trade sanctions outside the United Nations system. However, I would like to make it clear that Iceland’s vote in favour of the resolution i…
I would like to begin by thanking the Ambassador Marjatta Rasi, the President of the Economic and Social Council, for introducing the 2004 report of the Council (A/59/3 and Add.1), which provides a good overview of its work. As Iceland is hoping to be elected to the Council next week, my delegation …
We congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election and wish you well in the important work ahead.
We thank the Secretary-General for presenting his comprehensive report on the work of the Organization (A/59/1), which maps out the daunting tasks before the United Nations. Rather than addressing an…
Sir, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate you on your election as President of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly.
We are living in trying and turbulent times. As we meet, the world continues to be haunted by the spectre of terrorism, as most recently evidenced in Russia and I…
I would like at the outset to join other colleagues who have expressed their condolences to you, your Government and the Russian people over the tragic loss of life in the two aeroplane tragedies yesterday.
Iceland, as a member of the European Economic Area, fully aligns itself with the statement m…
I would like to begin by thanking my dear friend and colleague, Ambassador Dalius Čekuolis of Lithuania, the President of the Economic and Social Council, for presenting the 2007 report of the Economic and Social Council, which provides a very good overview of the work of the Council. I would also l…
Iceland, as a member of the European Economic Area, aligns itself fully with the statement just made by Ambassador Richard Ryan on behalf of the European Union, including its welcome to Mr. Harri Holkeri and its strong support for his work and that of the United Nations Interim Administration Missio…
While road traffic safety should first and foremost be addressed at the national and regional levels, it should also clearly be dealt with at the international level, preferably within the United Nations system. At the outset, I would therefore like to express Iceland’s continued support for the lau…
At the outset, let me, as previous speakers have done, give my congratulations to this year’s well-deserving recipients of the Prizes in the Field of Human Rights.
Fifty-five years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights marked the beginning of the important work of the United Nations in cod…
I would like at the outset to commend the Secretariat, in particular the very able staff of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, for their comprehensive report on oceans and the law of the sea. Allow me also to congratulate the coordinators, Ms. Elana Geddis of New Zealand and Mr. …
I would like briefly to describe the positive experience of Icelanders with regard to the restitution of cultural property.
Allow me to set the scene. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries there was a remarkable flowering of literature in Iceland. During that period a number of writers, not all o…
Having not taken part in the debate earlier this week on the report of the Security Council, I would like to use this opportunity, with your permission, Mr. President, to thank the President of the Security Council for the month of October, Ambassador Negroponte of the United States, for his introdu…
It is with great pleasure that the Icelandic delegation congratulates Mr. Hunte on his election as President of the General Assembly.
We thank the Secretary-General for his reports on implementation of the Millennium Declaration (A/58/323) and on the work of the Organization (A/58/1), which reflect…
Allow me at the outset to congratulate the President on his election to the presidency of this General Assembly. The role of the President in providing overall leadership to the Assembly is crucial and I am confident he will guide us wisely through the complex tasks ahead of us.
A month from now, a…
Iceland welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (A/58/184).
In Iceland, the fight against HIV/AIDS is integrated into the fight against all sexually transmitted diseases. During the last decade the incidence of…